4thofJulyFireworksSafety

Tomorrow is Independence Day, the Forth of July. One of our traditions is to watch fireworks displays or shoot them off ourselves. In 2006, 9,200 fireworks-related injuries were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms. The trend in fireworks-related injuries has been mostly up since 1996, with spikes in 2000-2001, primarily due to celebrations around the advent of a new millennium. The highest injury rates were for children aged 10 to 14. 75% of all injured were male.

Most fireworks injuries involve burns, but there were also contusions, lacerations and other types of injuries. Let’s look at some safety precautions if you’re around fireworks:

Be Prepared, before you light fireworks:

Use legal fireworks, available at licensed outlets.

Store fireworks out of children’s reach.

Keep pets safe indoors.

Always keep water handy.

Be Safe, when lighting fireworks:

Only adults should light fireworks.

Only use outdoors.

Do not throw fireworks or hold in your hand.

Protect your eyes.

Light one firework at a time and move away quickly.

Never relight a “dud”.

Be Responsible after you finish:

Soak used fireworks in water.

Be considerate--clean up used fireworks.

Keep matches and lighters away from children.

HAVE A SAFE AND FUN FOURTH OF JULY!

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